Live Sonar Is Out: What the Predator Tour 2027 Ban Means for Tournament Fishing

When the Predator Tour announced that live sonar would not be allowed at the 2027 edition in the Netherlands, the angling world reacted fast. Opinions flew in every direction. Yet one number says a lot: after the announcement, the tournament booked out in record time. Whatever people think of the rule, they clearly still want to fish it.

What the organisers announced

Predator Tour says the 2027 event returns to classic, traditional fishing methods. They are careful to say they are not against live sonar as such. Their argument is that the gap between anglers using live sonar and those fishing traditionally has become too big, making it hard for the two to compete on equal terms. Predator Tour bans Live Sonar.

The rule is already written into the 2027 regulations, and every team has to accept it when registering. In a follow-up post, the organisers said all registered teams will be told exactly how the ban will be implemented technically. They will draw on their experience from Predator Tour Sweden, which already runs without live sonar. They also stressed that anglers can use live sonar on every other day of the year. It is only off-limits for the three days of the competition.

Why now? Nobody has confirmed

Some in the community have a theory: that over the last couple of years a particular pair of anglers, using live technology heavily, won the tournament by a wide margin, and that this triggered the change. That is unconfirmed. The organisers have not said so, and the reason they gave publicly is competitive balance between methods, not any single team. It could be a factor, it could be one of several, or it could be unrelated. Until the organisers say more, it is speculation.

A community divided

Under the announcement, the comments tell the story.

The critics call the ban a step backwards. Their main point is that modern tools are available to everyone, and fishing has always evolved. Some worry about a slippery slope: if live sonar goes, what is next? A cap on outboard horsepower, a limit on screen size, a maximum number of screens on board? Others pointed out that sonar, GPS and electric motors are all modern technology too, and asked where exactly the line should be drawn.

The supporters welcomed the decision, and the organisers say it has been received very positively overall. Many see it as bringing the focus back to fish knowledge, watercraft and reading the water.

The practical questions came up too. How do you enforce it when plenty of boats have live sonar permanently installed? The organisers say participants will be shown how to disable it, and one commenter suggested something as simple as a locked cover over the connector.

The organisers also said they will answer questions from current and prospective participants, but not what they called unfounded criticism from people who are not taking part. That went down well with some and not with others.

Not the first to do this, Predator Tour bans Live Sonar.

Predator Tour is part of a wider trend, and the same debate has played out elsewhere.

• NPFL (US bass fishing) banned live forward-facing sonar in official practice and competition from the 2025 season, while other sonar types such as 2D, side imaging and 360 stayed legal.

• B.A.S.S. chose limits over a ban: one live transducer per boat, mounted on the bow trolling motor.

• Major League Fishing limits boats to two forward-facing or 360-degree transducers in any combination.

• Bassmaster looked at the question and did not ban it. Part of its reasoning was viewership: broadcasts showing live sonar catches were hugely popular.

• Recreational waters are moving too. An angling forum reports that live sonar has been banned on all waters of the LAV Schleswig-Holstein in Germany since mid-June 2025, and Swiss authorities banned it on Lake Lucerne. In Minnesota, a DNR working group is studying whether the technology is too effective and whether it is fair chase.

One theme repeats everywhere: enforcement is hard. Even the official Swiss documents admit that not every inspector is trained to check for it, and anglers online point out that a screen can be switched to a conventional view in seconds.

What I think

The real test will not be the headline, it will be the details. The rule targets "live" technology, and that line gets blurrier as gear evolves. Clear instructions before the first cast, and a fair way to check boats, will decide whether the ban is seen as fair.

The record sell-out suggests most anglers are happy to accept the rules for the chance to compete in one of Europe's best-known predator events. Whether the field becomes more open without live sonar, or whether the best teams simply find new edges, is something 2027 will answer.